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Elemental and carbonaceous characterization of TSP and PM10 during Middle Eastern dust (MED) storms in Ahvaz, Southwestern Iran

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Abstract

Middle Eastern dust (MED) storms carry large amounts of dust particles to the Southern and Western cities of Iran. This study aimed to characterize the elemental and carbonaceous composition of total suspended particles (TSP) and PM10 in Ahvaz, Iran. TSP and PM10 samples were collected using two separate high-volume air samplers. The sampling program was performed according to EPA guidelines and resulted in 72 samples. Twenty-eight elements and two carbonaceous components in TSP and PM10 were measured. Over the entire study period, the mean concentration (SD) of TSP and PM10 was 1548.72 μg/m3 (1965.11 μg/m3) and 1152.35 μg/m3 (1510.34 μg/m3), respectively. The order of concentrations of major species were Si > Al > Ca > OC > Na > B > Zn > Mn > K > Mg and Si > Ca > Al > Na > OC > B > K > Mn > Cu > Mg for TSP and PM10, respectively. Almost all elements (except for Cd, Cr, and Cu) and carbonaceous components (except for organic carbon) had dust days/non-dust days (DD/NDD) ratios higher than 1, implying that all components are somehow affected by dust storms. Crustal elements constituted the major portion of particles for both TSP and PM10 in both DDs and NDDs. The enrichment factor of elements such as Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, and Ti was near unity. Species such as Al, Ca, Fe, K, Na, Si, and EC had high correlation coefficients in both TSP and PM10 (except for EC). In conclusion, Ahvaz is exposed to high concentrations of TSP and PM10 during the MED period. Immediate actions must be planned to decrease the high concentrations of particulate matter in Ahvaz’s ambient air.

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Abbreviations

AD:

storm, Asian dust storm

DD:

Dust days

EC:

Elemental carbon

EF:

Enrichment factor

ICP:

Inductively coupled plasma

MED:

storms, Middle Eastern dust storms

NDD:

Non-dust days

OC:

Organic carbon

TGA:

Thermal gravimetric analysis

TSP:

Total suspended solids

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (research project number #9742) and the Institute for Environmental Research (IER) for their financial support of the present study, and the Iranian Health Research Center for providing the sampling location

Funding

This study was funded by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (research project number #9742) and the Institute for Environmental Research (IER).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Abbas Shahsavani

  2. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Abbas Shahsavani

  3. Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Yarahmadi

  4. Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran

    Mostafa Hadei

  5. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Mohammad Hossein Sowlat

  6. Center for Air Pollution Research, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Enghlab Squre,16 Azar street, TUMS, Tehran, Iran

    Kazem Naddafi

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  1. Abbas Shahsavani
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  2. Maryam Yarahmadi
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  4. Mohammad Hossein Sowlat
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  5. Kazem Naddafi
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Correspondence to Kazem Naddafi.

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Research Highlights

• Mean concentrations of TSP and PM10 were 1548 and 1152 μg/m3 over the study period.

• Corresponding maximum 24-h values were 7535 and 5889 μg/m3, respectively.

• Crustal elements contributed to 44 and 55% of the total mass of TSP and PM10.

• Crustal elements were dominant in DDs, while this fraction decreased in NDDs.

• EFs near 1 for Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, and Na suggested their possible crustal origin.

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Shahsavani, A., Yarahmadi, M., Hadei, M. et al. Elemental and carbonaceous characterization of TSP and PM10 during Middle Eastern dust (MED) storms in Ahvaz, Southwestern Iran. Environ Monit Assess 189, 462 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6182-1

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